Historical Context.

The hisotrical context of the novel is rather remarkable. Eatonville Florida, was one of the first all black towns to be created in the South. Such towns were created to escape the racial prejudice of the whites. Eatonville, the home of Zora Neale Hustson, was the first of these towns to become an actual town with its own governing body. Life in these towns were hard. Unlike the northern industrial cities, many of the people in the towns were farmers and thus were constantly had a low source of income.

The town of Eatonville has not changed much since the times of Their Eyes Were Watching God. The town is still a large majority Black, and a quarter is still below the poverty line. In the novel the farming aspect was very prevalent as the people went to work in the muck to support themselves despite harsh conditions. Hurston depiction of the town of Eatonville in Their Eyes Were Watching God was Superb. (Peter Kerrian)